Saudi Arabia Orders Pilgrims to Remain in Arafat Camps Amid Extreme Heat

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has issued a formal directive instructing pilgrims to remain within their designated camps on the plains of Arafat until 4pm as authorities respond to extreme heat conditions during the 1447 AH Hajj season. The order is part of a broader set of emergency heat management protocols designed to protect the nearly two million pilgrims gathered for the annual pilgrimage.

Temperatures at Arafat during peak daylight hours have reached dangerous levels, raising the risk of heatstroke, dehydration, and heat-related fatalities among the elderly and infirm pilgrims who constitute a significant portion of the Hajj congregation. Saudi authorities have activated multiple response mechanisms to mitigate the risk, including deploying 350 scouts across hospitals and the Mina routes to assist pilgrims in distress.

In parallel, the Kingdom has mobilised 35,000 volunteers through the Hajj Volunteer Operations Center as part of its 1447 AH operations, the largest organised volunteer deployment in the pilgrimage's modern history. These volunteers are stationed at critical waypoints along the Hajj route to provide first aid, guidance, water distribution, and crowd management assistance.

For Pakistan, which sends one of the largest national contingents to Hajj each year, the extreme heat advisory carries direct relevance. Pakistani pilgrims, their families, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs have been monitoring the situation closely. Authorities in Islamabad have urged Pakistani pilgrims already in the Kingdom to comply strictly with Saudi directives and to avoid unnecessary movement during peak heat hours.